12 Angry Men - Essay

This post is for all junior classes.

Overview

Psychic determinism is a theory that suggests that a person's psychological makeup (attitudes, behaviors, likes, dislikes, etc.) arise from specific causes or forces (events experienced earlier in life). In other words, people behave the way they do because of what the experienced in the past.

In a thoughtful four-paragraph essay, answer the following quesion:

 

What two characters from 12 Angry Men

clearly behave as they do because

of their experiences in the past?

 

You should plan on visiting the TLC and working with a writing consultant at least once before the essay is due. Check back later for the due date.

 

 

Planning

Before you begin writing, please complete the 12 Angry Men Essay Planning worksheet.

Criteria

Organization

     The title should…

• …be creative
• …be centered
• …be written in regular font
• …have the first letters of all important words capitalized
• …not contain words that are underlined, bold, all caps, word art, etc.

 

     The intro should…

• …have an interesting hook that grabs readers’ attention
• …have a link - a few sentences to connect your hook to your topic (the novel) and lists titles and authors.
• …have a clear, concise thesis.
• …have a clear, concise bridge.

 

     Body paragraphs should…

• …contain transitions between body points.
• …have a topic sentence that presents the central claim the paragraph will prove.
• …have a setup for each quotation explaining the context of the scene.
• ….contain concise, thoughtful, properly cited quotations to present evidence to support your claim (topic sentence).
• …provide an explanation (warrant) for each quotation, detailing just how the quotation proves the claim (topic sentence).

 

     The conclusion should…

• …answer the question, “So what?”
• …expand the ideas of the essay into the real world.

 

Mechanics

• Avoid first person and second person.
• Avoid slang.
• Use correct spelling.
• Avoid contractions.
• Avoid awkward language usage.
• Italicize all book and play titles.
• Use language that is thoughtful, graceful, and concise.

 

Formatting

• 12 pt. font
• Times New Roman
• doubled-spaced
• one inch margins
• no extra spaces between paragraphs.
• correct heading in the right hand corner – Name, period, word count

Junior Grammar Notes - 9/21

ITS and IT’S

•       ‘It’s’ refers to ‘it is’ or ‘it has.’

•       ‘Its’ shows ownership.

Comma Tip #4

•       Use commas to set off parenthetical and transitional expressions.

•       Hint: parenthetical [P] expressions add comments or information.  They often interrupt the flow of a sentence.

•       Hint: transitional [T] expressions, conjunctive adverbs (words such as however and furthermore), and other words and phrases used to connect parts of sentences are set off with commas.

Tip #4 Examples

•       Some studies, incidentally, have shown that chocolate, of all things, helps to prevent tooth decay. [P]

•       Roald Dahl’s stories, it turns out, were often inspired by his own childhood. [P]

•       Ozone is a by-product of dry cleaning, for example. [T]

•       Ceiling fans are, moreover, less expensive than air conditioners. [T]

Comma Tip #5

•       Use commas to set off dependent clauses.

•       Hint: Dependent clauses

¡  Cannot stand alone.

¡  Contain a subject and verb but not a complete thought

¡  Markers: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while

•       Hint 2: Independent clauses

¡  Can stand alone.

¡  Contain a subject, verb, and complete thought

¡  Sentence

Tip #5 Examples

•       The two drivers involved in the accident, who have been convicted of drunken driving, should lose their licenses. [dependent clause]

•       Drivers who have been convicted of drunken driving should lose their licenses. [independent clause]

•       Colin went to the ski lounge, which was crowded with many skiers. [dependent clause]

•       Colleen went to the pawn shop that was located near her home. [independent clause]

Junior Grammar Notes - 9/14

 YOUR and YOU’RE

•       ‘You’re’ refers to ‘you are.’

•       ‘Your’ shows ownership.

Comma Tip #1

•       Use commas to set off introductory words and phrases that describe the subject or tell when, where, how, or why the main action of the sentences occurs.

•       While the snow was falling, we drank hot chocolate by the fire.  [When]

•       Slowly, she became aware of the severe problem. [How]

•       To ace the test, John needed to study. [Why]

•       Pen poised in anticipation, Logan waited for the test to be distributed. [Describes subject]

Comma Tip #2

•       Use commas before a coordinating conjunction that join two independent clauses (parts) in a compound sentence.

•       Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet

•       Independent clauses: two clauses that can stand alone (subject and verb are present)

•       The show started at last, and the crowd grew quiet.

•       He saw the cake sitting on the counter unattended, so he took it and ran.

•       We can go the movie tonight, or we can go the concert.

•       My students in England said aluminium, and I said aluminum.

Comma Tip #3

•       Use commas to separate items in a series (three items or more NOT two).

•       Use commas to separate more than one adjective that describes a noun

•       All the cafeteria’s vegetables—broccoli, green beans, peas, and carrots were cooked to a gray mush.

•       I bought shoes, a shirt, socks, and trousers.

•       He used yellow, green, and blue to color his picture.

•       They are sincere, talented, and inquisitive researchers.

•       The long, twisting, muddy road led to a shack in the woods.

Junior Grammar Notes - 9/7

THEY’RE, THEIR, THERE

•       ’They’re’ refers to ‘they are.’

•       ’There’ often refers to a place. If you take away the ‘t,’ it’s ‘here.’

•       ’Their’ shows ownership.

Fragment Tips

•       Phrase fragments: lack a subject, a verb, or both

•       A piece of a complete thought that has been punctuated like a sentence using a period

•       Pieces of sentences that are disconnected

•       “Guess what?” Test

Run-on sentences

•       Two sentences written together without any punctuation at all—a sentence that goes on and on and on…

•        When a comma is used between two sentences without any connecting word (COMMA SPLICE!)

Junior Extra Credit - Magnet Poetry

If you're in the mood for some extra credit, all you have to do is play with some words.

1. Go to this magnetic poetry website.
2. Click on one of the 'kits'. (Your choice.)
3. Play around for awhile.
4. When you think you've made a good poem, print it out. (You'll find 'print' under 'file'.)
5. Write your name on the top of the page and turn it in.
6. Keep in mind, all class work must be appropriate for class.

(Still have more free time? Do a couple.)

At First Glance

This post is for juniors only.

OVERVIEW

In this week's paragraph, you are to explore the idea of prejudice. Select one of the following questions to focus your writing:

• 
  
  Why are people prejudiced, and how can people overcome their own prejudices?
• 
  
  To what degree do other people’s prejudices affect the lives of others?
• 
  
  Are all prejudices bad, or are some helpful? If so, how can one tell the difference?

CRITERIA

Your paragraph must have an encompassing topic sentence. Your paragraph must also have vivid, specific supporting details. Make sure to employ correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Especially keep in mind the commas rules, sentence fragment rules, and sentence run on rules we have been we have been recently reviewing. Your paragraph must be a minimum of 200 words, and the word count must be printed below your name. Be sure to print out a copy of the paragraph as well as save it to your network folder.

HINTS

Keep in mind that people can be prejudiced about a variety of human facets:  race, religion, physical appearance, the way a person speaks, the place from which a person originates, etc. If you have any questions regarding grammar or content, please ask an instructor for assistance.

Parent Night Homework

Bowling for the Truth

Here's a clip from the documentary film Bowling for Columbine.



Two questions:

1. To what degree, if any, was K-Mart responsible for the shooting at Columbine, and was it K-Mart's responsibility to stop selling ammunition?
2. How fair was Michale Moore's (the film's director - the heavy guy in the hat) ambush of K-Mart's Corporate Headquarters?

Junior Bonus Videos

I mentioned a few songs that I think embody Thomas Jefferson's attitude in different parts of the Declaration of Independence. Enjoy.







And here are two of those School House Rock cartoons that review the circumstances leading up to the Declaration of Independence.





And finally, here are a few of the cartoons kids used to watch on Saturday mornings back in the 70s and 80s.

Fight for the Right

This entry is for juniors only.

TASK
In a thoughtful, thorough paragraph answer the following question:

What natural rights do teens possess?

REQUIREMENTS
All rules of grammar and spelling apply. The paragraph must be 200 words minimum. ("Minimum" means "the least." Feel free to go bigger.) When you are finished, save the document to your user folder. (You will be working with this document in the near future.) Also, print a copy and turn it in for credit. Please (1) double space and (2) type in the word count directly under your name.

CONSIDERATIONS
These should be rights shared by all teens, not just a select few. And keep in mind that you are discussing 'rights,' not wishes or privileges.